Will Endless OS work with my computer?

Endless OS has been tested on a wide variety of different laptop and desktop computers with great results. If your hardware meets the key requirements listed below, Endless OS should be expected to run well on your system. However, there are thousands of computers available from dozens of different manufacturers, so we can't test every combination. We appreciate your help flagging new hardware to enable for Endless OS.

You can use the Endless Installer for Windows to install Endless OS as a "dual-boot" option alongside Windows, or to create an Endless USB stick which will allow you to test or install Endless OS on any other computer that meets the requirements below. The Endless USB stick uses the same device drivers as Endless OS itself, so if you are planning to reformat a computer with Endless OS, the bootable USB is a good way to test a computer beforehand. Please note that you will need Windows 7 or newer to download and use the Endless Installer for Windows.

Hardware Requirements for Endless OS

Processor: Endless OS supports PC systems with 64-bit Intel or compatible processors, such as AMD and VIA. Endless OS does not run on PCs with 32-bit processors. (Most computers from before 2007, and even some lower-cost netbooks built after this date, have 32-bit processors.)

ARM processors: The version of Endless OS that is available for download does not run on any ARM-based processors which are found on devices such as Raspberry Pi or ODroid single-board computers. At present, the only supported ARM device is the Endless Mini, which comes with Endless OS pre-installed.

Chromebooks: Chromebook hardware is designed to only run Google Chrome OS and is not supported by Endless OS.

Apple: Apple hardware is designed to run macOS, and is not officially supported by Endless OS. Depending on the exact model of Mac, Endless OS might work, but this is not tested. Dual-booting Endless OS and macOS is not supported at all.

Memory (RAM): Endless will run best if you have at least 2GB of memory in your system.

Storage (HDD or SSD): Endless OS requires at least 32GB of disk space for the Full version. If you use the Basic version, 16GB is possible, but more is recommended so that you can download and install new apps and have space to add your own videos, photos, music, and documents.

Graphics Card: Like other Linux-based platforms, Intel integrated graphics is the best supported option. We also make efforts to keep up-to-date with the latest open source drivers for AMD graphics where device support is improving. For Nvidia GPUs, the proprietary Nvidia driver is automatically installed; this provides excellent performance but the technical support we can provide for such hardware is very limited. In the Nvidia Optimus Dual-GPU case, the discrete GPU is preferred and this cannot be configured.

Disk Management: Endless OS does not support any advanced storage hardware or technology such as RAID controllers, LVM, or encrypted disks.

Peripherals: Most mice and keyboards should work, but laptop touch screens and specialist input devices such as joysticks, tablets etc. may not work correctly.

Wireless Cards: Most wireless cards from Intel will work, as well as certain Atheros and Realtek cards. Broadcom devices supported by the 'brcm80211' or 'b43' driver should work, but devices that require the 'wl' driver are not supported. If your wireless hardware is not supported, we recommend using a USB Wi-Fi adapter, a wired network cable, or tethering to your mobile phone with a USB cable.

There are thousands of computers available from dozens of different manufacturers. Even if your computer meets the requirements above, you may see minor issues with suspend/resume, Bluetooth, sound, webcams, hotkeys (like airplane mode, volume keys, etc.) and touchpad compatibility for some specific models. Please consider the following list of nonsupported items

Not Supported

Smart card & smart card reader

Fingerprint scanner

Internal dial-up modem

Expansion ports: serial/parallel port devices

Asus Number Pad

Asus Screen Pad

If you are affected by any hardware compatibility problems, please get in touch with us on our Community, and include a debug log with your message.